Youngstown: Old Fort Niagara hosts special evening tour

by jmaloni

Tue, Sep 11th 2012 04:35 pm

Old Fort Niagara (file photo)

On Saturday evening, Sept. 22, Old Fort Niagara
will present a special evening tour focusing on the construction of
the 286-year-old French Castle. The tour will include live
demonstrations of the woodworking, stonecutting and blacksmithing
skills needed to erect the oldest building in the Great Lakes basin.

The French Castle was built between June 1726
and October 1727 to bolster French influence in the Niagara region
and block British westward expansion. In the spring of 1726, about
100 soldiers and assorted workmen left Montreal to erect the new
outpost. During the summer, an outbreak of fever delayed construction
into the 1727 season.

This program, which begins at 7 p.m., will
focus on the tools and techniques employed by the French in the
original construction of the castle.

Tickets for the tour are priced at $20 per
person. Advance reservations and payment are required. Interested
parties should call 716-745-7611 for reservations.